Saint Joseph Catholic Church

“Catholic teaching affirms the inherent dignity, unity, and relational nature of every human person,” COMECE stated. “Mental health is therefore understood not solely as a clinical issue, but as an expression of human vulnerability that calls for compassion, solidarity, and holistic care. By integrating biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions, the Church offers an ethical and human-centered framework that can complement public policy and professional practice.”

The reflection was published on May 7, in conjunction with European Mental Health Week.

Pope Leo XIV told members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation today that “the Church’s embrace of rigorous, honest science remains not merely valuable, but essential.”

On April 29, “unknown persons opened parts of the roof, gained access through the ceiling, and made away with the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament,” said Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, who decried the desecration.

Archbishop Ugorji added:

All priests in the Owerri Archdiocese are reminded to strictly adhere to the norms and directives regarding the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and adoration to avoid any recurrence. We emphasize that exposition is to take place only when a fitting attendance of the faithful is assured (cf. Can. 942). The Blessed Sacrament must never be left unattended during exposition.

“The records of the diocese show that over 98,000 persons have been displaced, including 16 priests, while 217 churches have been completely destroyed,” the statement continued. “Residences of eight priests have also been destroyed, and more than 100 persons have been reportedly killed.”

“What is really empowering these settlers is the policy of the Israeli government,” said Ihab Hassan, who documents attacks on Palestinian Christians. The activist also discussed a new initiative, Save West Bank Christians.

Pope Leo XIV said today that for Christians and Muslims, “human compassion and empathy are not something additional or optional, but are a call from God to reflect his goodness in our daily lives.”

The Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years, will conclude on November 22. The Holy See’s pavilion, entitled “The ear is the eye of the soul,” is inspired by the works of St. Hildegard of Bingen.

The first venue features a sound installation; the second, a contemporary scriptorium.

“We are not approaching this from a partisan political standpoint, but from a moral one,” said Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala. “The Church bases its teaching, its social doctrine, on the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel. The defense of immigrants’ rights is … grounded in the Gospel and the Holy Scriptures.”

Born in El Salvador in 1970, Bishop Menjivar-Ayala was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 2004 and appointed an auxiliary bishop in 2022. He was the subject of a 2023 Washington Post essay, “He was an undocumented immigrant. He became ‘Your Excellency’.“

“We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India,” the bishops’ conference added, as it called upon “newly elected governments and leaders, irrespective of political affiliations, to remain firmly committed to the Constitution of India and the democratic values it upholds.”

The South Asian nation of 1.42 billion (map), the world’s most populous nation, is 73% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 5% Christian, 3% ethnic religionist, and 2% Sikh.

Pope Leo XIV received Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé of Haiti, a Caribbean nation that has suffered years of armed strife.